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Praetor-class Battlecruiser Mark II
Considered one of the the largest battlecruiser designs known, the Praetor-class Battlecruiser Mark II, also called the Praetor Mark II for short, is a warship class in the Star Destroyer design family. Although it is marked by the characteristic wedge-shape common to such designs, and is mistakenly labeled as such, it technically is not a Star Destroyer. At 4,800 meters long, it just barely misses out on being classified as a supercapital ship. As an older Imperial design, the Praetor Mark II is meant for large-scale capital ship combat and has almost no way to effectively deal with starfighters outside of its own squadrons. However it excels in ship-to-ship combat with virtually all of its armament being linked in batteries that give it the ability to deliver massive coordinated salvos of firepower at any target unfortunate enough to be in its path. Conversely, its strong armor and shields allow it to take a great deal of punishment before failing. Normal starfighter laser cannons can't even pierce the armor plating without modifications to boost their power. One of the most distinctive features of the Praetor Mark II are the rings near the very end of the ship, behind the bridge, that appear to follow Corellian docking design standards. These transport rings can store supplies, equipment, and even live specimens, allowing the Praetor Mark II to be easily reconfigured for the needs of a mission. Perhaps as a result of this unique design choice, its main docking-bay is only slightly larger than the main docking bay of an ''Imperial''-class Star Destroyer despite being a significantly more massive ship. The Sith Empire under Norik Kun created an upscaled version of the Praetor Mark II known as the ''Tormentor''-class Super Star Destroyer that shifted focus entirely on space combat, although none of these ships were known to have survived Kun's downfall. =History= The Praetor Mark II was designed and produced early on in the reign of the Galactic Empire as a follow-up to the smaller Republic-era ''Praetor''-class Battlecruiser. Few ships of this class were commissioned during the Galactic Civil War, as Imperial strategies didn't favor battlecruiser designs. Battlecruisers were regarded as less effective terror weapons than the more awe-inspiring Super Star Destroyers. Combined with being more expensive than individual Star Destroyers and less versatile in warfare, production on the Praetor Mark II was stopped in favor of other models. As a result of the Empire's focus, the Praetor Mark IIs, along with other battlecruiser designs, were primarily used by the Empire to defend key areas in the Core and Deep Core regions. Some battlecruisers were also used for particularly dangerous missions on the fringes of Imperial space, although they rarely left their docks except in cases of large engagements. The Praetor Mark II was eventually reevaluated by Imperial Command following the end of the Galactic Civil War and a shift in tactical thinking precipitated by the return of Grand Admiral Thrawn during the Xen'Chi War. Due to their defensive role up to that point, many of these ships survived the conflicts to become a less expensive alternative to supercapital command ships and some have been assigned to top Imperial commanders for frontline use. =Sources= *Wookieepedia Category:Capital ShipsCategory:Imperial ShipsCategory:BattleshipsCategory:Command Ships